Brand new Art History adjunct writing about school, life and art- but not necessarily in that order.

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Lauren Does the Mid-West, vol. 3

Last night we went to the bride's parents' house for dinner. They have five, yes, five dogs. Three of them are weiner dogs, two are weiner dog-terrier mixes. One of the purebred weiners is in a wheelchair. She's sooooo cute. I'll have to take pictures the next time I see them. It was nice to have animal contact again, because I miss my kitties!

The bride's parents are both deaf. It's a little hard to communicate with them (duh, right?!) because I feel bad for making the bride interpret for me, but her mom, especially, is hard to understand when she's speaking. But! Other than that, oh my gob, they are exactly like Kev's parents. Not only do they look like Kev's parents, they also have the same personalities, they have the same affection for pulling out photo albums at awkward times as Kev's parents, and they even share the same love of camping and RVing as Kev's parents. All of this? Complete opposite of my own parents, but this is another entry.

We had fried chicken and some sides for dinner over there, and Kev very nicely got me some iced tea. Well. I took one sip, and I knew I was doomed. It was raspberry flavored tea, and I? Am so allergic to raspberries. And? You would not believe it if I told you how many times I've accidentally ingested them! And more than once at the hands of Kev's sister. hmmmm...

Anyway, I had thought to bring Benadryl with me to Kansas, but not in my purse. I felt the hives creeping up, and my throat was getting sore, but I wasn't going to say anything. And then everyone noticed at about the same time that Lauren has big red nasty blotches on her chest. I probably should have taken Benadryl, but that crap knocks me out faster than one of Kev's long and boring comic book stories. I tried to suffer in silence, but everyone kept asking if I'm all right, etc etc, which was nice, but I get the hives when everyone is looking at me, no matter what kind of fruit I may have actually eaten.

Kev got his tattoo yesterday. Now I really want one. But I'm scared. Not of the pain- I told you, he's a baby sissy la-la, but of where to get it, and the appropriateness of me having one as a someday professor. I may have decided (in Target today, where they sell beer, y'all, seriously, I come from a state where they have stores that only sell beer, and that's pretty much the only place they do, so this was very very weird to me.) to get cherry blossoms on my back. It's tricky, though, to find something that is meaningful, but not too literal. Or generic. Or korny. with a K, because that's how bad it is.

Tomorrow, the rehearsal dinner. Christ. I am maintaining my position, I'm just trying to be helpful and stay out of the line of fire. Crazy explosive, this family is!

2 comments:

I am so impressed that you are blogging while on your vacation that I can't even tell you. Ah, family times. And I had no idea you were allergic to raspberries. I would DIE (not literally, I hope, but figuratively.) I LOVE raspberries! Enjoy the trip. I say, get the tattoo if you really want it. Hell, I had a professor in undergrad who wore a kilt and openly walked around campus smoking a joint. Professors are SUPPOSED to be weird! It's one of the few perks we get over in academia.